7 Practical AR Uses In Healthcare
Who said that augmented reality (AR) was just for gaming? You heard right! AR can also be useful in industries such as healthcare. Despite its infancy, AR can be useful in the following areas in healthcare:
- Health awareness
- Prevention
- Diagnosis
- Treatment (i.e., medical, therapy, etc.), AND
- Health maintenance
So, how can healthcare organizations take advantage of these limitless possibilities? Here are 7 ways that AR is effective in healthcare (with examples)!
- Vein Detection
“Vein detection is more possible with AR,” says Jasmine Brown, a tech blogger at Ukwritings and Eliteassignmenthelp. “AR vein detectors use laser light interaction with hemoglobin molecules and spectroscopy to check the concentrations in patients. Afterwards, the devices can project a high-resolution image that highlights where the veins are in the patient. Unlike full-field digital mammography, which uses low-dose radiation to produce images, AR vein detectors don’t use radiation, which is safer for patients.”
AccuVein is a portable AR device that helps nurses locate veins in patients. Available in over 130 countries (including the United States), this portable vein finder can be purchased or leased as a prescription.
- A Means To Educate Patients
Rather than just telling patients what their health problems are, AR can enhance medical services by actually showing patients what the problem is. During consultations, patients can use AR to better understanding their conditions.
In Utah, Orca Health has experimented with a medical AR app called EyeDecide, which allows eye doctors to visually demonstrate to patients how cataracts can affect the eye. By simulating various conditions of the eye, patients better understand their eye problems.
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2. Surgeries
Surgeries can be terrifying for patients, especially when thinking about the consequences of doctors cutting open their bodies. However, AR has the potential of using noninvasive surgical procedures. Plus, surgeons can use real-time patient information to monitor how things are going during surgery.
TrueVision is currently developing AR-based surgical tools that assist doctors in the following areas:
- Neurosurgery
- Ophthalmology
- Microsurgeries
The company’s Digital Microscope Platform can generate digital surgeries that convert current microscopic technology into AR-based 3D images.
3. Defibrillator Tracking
GPS-tracking is no longer reserved for looking for nearby restaurants and facilities. In fact, it’ll soon be possible for people to GPS-track defibrillators that are near them. You never know: You or someone else may collapse all of a sudden, and will need medical help right away.
An Automated External Defibrillator (AED) is a device that automatically detects cardiac conditions. But where to find them at a time of need? That’s why Lucien Engelen created the AED4EU app, which uses AR technology to track defibrillators near users without them having to scramble to get help for someone who has fallen.
4. Breastfeeding
For mothers struggling to breastfeed their children, AR can help them understand their conditions better. That’s where products like Google Glass come in.
Innovation company Small World (in conjunction with the Australian Breastfeeding Association) experimented with Google Glass to show doctors and counsellors the mother’s perspective of breastfeeding, as she wears the AR device. Mothers can show doctors their breastfeeding without putting down their babies.
5. Clearer Drug Information
“AR is also seeping into the pharmaceutical arena,” says Corey Barge, a business writer at Revieweal and OX Essays. “Patients can use AR devices to see how a drug works in the body. Lab workers can also use these devices to see how their medicinal experiments are doing as they create them.”
As of October 2020, Random42 has experimented with creating pharma AR apps that will allow users to see how medicine and other scientific products work.
6. In-Hospital Navigation
Finally, it can be intimidating to navigation through a hospital, and not know where you’re going. But what if AR was there to steer you to the right lobby or the right recovery room?
Developers like the Rochester Institute of Technology (in conjunction with Rochester Regional Hospital) understand that a hospital can be a labyrinth for patients and their loved ones. That’s why the organization experiments with AR technology to help users (patients and or loved ones) locate the right places to go to in a hospital without losing their way.
Conclusion
As you can see, AR holds a lot of potential when it comes to treating patients and saving lives. With these 7 prospects in mind, augmented reality will soon dominate healthcare in its institutions and practices.
Elizabeth Hines is a writer and editor at Lia Help and Big Assignments. She is also a contributing writer for Study demic. As a content writer, she writes articles about the latest tech and marketing trends.
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